New World, New Life, New Family
by musical sphinx
Summary: The night of October 31st, 1981, Kate Potter was scared into using accidental magic, transporting herself onto the doorstep of a Muggle couple's home. Now, ten years later, Kate rediscovers a world which believes her dead and a twin brother she never knew about. Even as she learns to cope with her new life, Kate develops a problem- one that hasn't been seen at Hogwarts in years.
1. Prologue

The Dark Lord stared at the two solemn, green-eyed children, their mother's body at his feet, and smiled. Now was the moment he had been waiting for. In just a few seconds, his greatest enemies would be vanquished, and he would be invincible- immortal. All of his dreams, of power, of control, would soon be realized! As he raised his wand, the boy opened his mouth to cry, but before he could begin to wail, Voldemort leveled his wand, and half-shouted the words he'd waited so long for- "Avada Kedavra. Avada Kedavra!"

But the second killing curse had barely left his lips before the first rebounded, hitting him full in the face. It was agony, like nothing he'd ever experienced. He was being ripped apart, bodiless, riding a wave of pain- and then the second curse hit. He could feel himself drifting away….

* * *

Kate Potter, sitting next to her brother, who had begun to cry in earnest, was overtaken by a look of terror as the man in front of her broke apart. Her simple baby's mind couldn't comprehend it, so it was scared of it. She made her feelings clear as her cries joined her brother's, her face screwed up, and then, as the spectacle in front of her hit a climax, it was as if a switch had flipped in her brain, and then she disappeared. Her brother took a moment to realize she had gone, pausing briefly in his noisemaking to survey the spot his twin sister had so recently vacated, then returning even louder.

* * *

Miles away, in a little village in the West Country called Treverva, a black-haired baby appeared out of nowhere on a doorstep, her arrival punctuated by a loud crack. Kate's little eyes darted about, saw an unfamiliar house, an unfamiliar street, car, and lawn, and settled upon the large (and unfamiliar) pumpkin sitting next to her. She must have found something comforting in the pumpkin's carved, smiling face, however, because as soon as she saw it, the worried look she had been wearing since her appearance a minute earlier slid off her face, and was replaced by a smile almost as large as the pumpkin's. She shifted in her blankets, closed her eyes, and promptly fell asleep (smile still securely in place).

Miles Garland picked up the wooden bowl sitting by his door and carried it into the kitchen, where his wife, Rose, sat reading. After tipping the last few sweets at the bottom of the bowl into a bag on the counter, he turned to his wife.

"I think that's the last of them. I'll just go turn off the porch light and snuff out the candles in the pumpkins, then we can go to bed."

"Alright," said Rose, jumping up and kissing him quickly on the cheek. "I'll be along in a moment."

Miles smiled briefly, then turned and headed back to the entryway, then flicked the switch next to the door that controlled the porch light, and opened the door to put out the candles. In the low light from the candles, he almost stepped on the little package lying just outside the door. But no, he realized as he stooped down for a closer look, it wasn't a package at all- but what was it? Then a cloud shifted, and the faint light from the just-past-new moon fell on the mysterious object. Miles stood up abruptly, and called out- "Rose! Rose, come quickly!"

There were muffled footsteps from within the house, and Rose appeared at the door. "What's so urgent?"

"It's a baby!"

"What?"

"A baby! Right here on the doorstep! Someone must've left it!"

Rose leaned over to look. "Oh my goodness, you're right! And we've woken her up, look." The young, blonde woman leaned over to pick up the child, whose worried expression had returned, and began comforting her. "Oh, Miles, she's cold- see, she's not wearing a jacket or anything. She must've wandered away from her parents somehow."

Miles make a skeptical noise. "What, here? Not many places she could've wandered away from. She wasn't here when I gave candy to the last trick-or-treaters, and no one around here has a child her age."

"Hmmm, true." said Rose, looking worried. "Perhaps we should take her down to the police station."

Miles hesitated, then nodded. "I'll go grab my keys."

* * *

At the police station, they were told that no one had reported a child matching the foundling's description as missing. While there, Rose noticed that the name "Kate" had been written on the tag of the little girl's shirt, so the couple began referring to her as such. They agreed to take care of the girl for a few days while inquiries were made.

They waited, and waited, but little Kate's parents were never found. Rose and Miles, who had grown quite fond of the little girl, decided to adopt her rather than let her enter the system. To them, Kate was their daughter, and they loved her. A few months after Kate came into their lives, Rose discovered she was pregnant. She gave birth to a healthy baby boy, named Jack. Kate and Jack grew up as siblings, and it was years before Kate found out she was adopted.

The Garlands were always curious as to Kate's beginnings, and how she came to be on their doorstep, but there was one thing that interested them most of all- the peculiar scar on her forehead, in the shape of a lightning bolt.

* * *

In a different part of the country, the day after Kate's strange appearance, another couple received a similar surprise- this one, however, was not nearly so well received.

The residents of Privet Drive had had a strange day- what with owls flying about in broad daylight, peculiar occurrences all over the country, and people in curious, robelike costumes congregating everywhere. But they missed one more such oddity- the appearance of two such people on their very street. They each appeared suddenly- one, out of thin air at the end of the street, the streetlamps flickering out one by one after his appearance. The next appeared only after the first had sat down on the stone wall surrounding number four- one moment, there was a cat sitting next to him, the next, a woman. The peculiar pair talked a moment, serious conversation by the looks on their faces, before being interrupted by a loud roar.

A massive motorbike appeared in the air at the end of the street- it seemed to be flying, and yet, somehow, not one of the exceptionally nosy and proper residents of the surrounding houses so much as peeped out their windows to see what all the ruckus was about. The motorbike touched down in front of number four, and an enormous man dismounted. He approached the two already there, who stood to greet him.

"I- I've got Harry here, Professor, but,- but,-" Hagrid seemed barely able to choke out the words, perhaps due to the torrent of tears running down his face.

"Just Harry? I thought you were supposed to get both of them!" said Professor McGonagall sharply.

"Well- y'see- that's what I was tryin' ter say, Professor. I could'n find Kate. I looked all over, high an' low, but she wasn' nowhere to ter be found. There- there was- a part of the ceiling had collapsed, y'see, an' I think- I think-" He said all this rather quickly, then seeming overwhelmed, burst into tears again.

Professor McGonagall spun around to face Dumbledore, her face full of disbelief and concern. "No! It- it can't be- it isn't true, is it?"

Dumbledore looked shocked, a rare occurrence. "I- I don't know." He paused, regaining some of his composure. "I shall have to go find out. Wait here with Harry and Hagrid. I will be back shortly." He Disapparated with the customary loud crack.

Professor McGonagall took Hagrid by the arm and guided him over to the low wall, taking Harry from him as she did so. They sat there in silence for at least ten minutes, Hagrid sobbing quietly into the tablecloth-sized handkerchief he had pulled from the depths of his coat, and Professor McGonagall sitting up very straight, staring at the sleeping child she held in her arms.

"He'll be an orphan when he wakes up." McGonagall said at last. Hagrid grunted in reply, emerging from his handkerchief. "It doesn' seem possible, does it? Firs' James an' Lily, an now, Kate…"

"Well, we don't know that for sure." she said quickly, as if to speak of Kate's possible fate was to realize it.

"Yeah, I suppose yer righ'."

Neither spoke again until Dumbledore arrived an hour later. As he approached, the look on his face said it all, but Professor McGonagall asked anyway.

"Like Hagrid, I could find no sign of Kate. It is my belief that, when the curse rebounded onto Voldemort (Professor McGonagall started and Hagrid let out a yelp), there may have been an- explosion. If Kate was too close, it is possible…."

Hagrid dove back into his handkerchief with a loud howl. It took several minutes for the two Professors to quiet him down. When they had gotten him down to a tolerable volume, Dumbledore turned to Professor McGonagall. "We should leave him now. Come, we'll put him just outside the door." he said heavily.

As the two walked up the front walk, Professor McGonagall found herself staring at the scar on the little boy's head. "He will carry that mark forever." said Dumbledore, noticing the focus of her attentions. "A reminder of his parent's sacrifice."

"And his sister's." said McGonagall firmly. Dumbledore nodded.

And at that they lay the sleeping boy down on his aunt's doorstep, a letter from Dumbledore tucked into his blankets, to be awoken by his aunt's scream the next morning as she went to collect the milk.

* * *

 **So, that's it! What do you think? A bit short, I know, but later chapters will hopefully be longer. I'm not _entirely_ sure where I'm going with this, but I've started a second chapter, so I'll definitely be posting more! I've officially abandoned my other story, The Bookworm and The Flame, because I realized I don't really like the story. I wrote it on a whim, without really thinking through it. As I said before, though, I will definitely be continuing this one! Thanks! -musical sphinx**


	2. A Whole New World

"Ouch!"

"What?"

"That hurt!"

"No, it didn't!"

"Yes, it did! I would know!"

"No way that hurt. Does this hurt?" Jack Garland poked his sister again with the long stick in his hand.

"Yes! Now stop, or I'll tell Mum!" His sister exclaimed, jumping out of reach.

Kate and Jack were in the middle of an overgrown field, once used for sheep, which belonged to their neighbor, Mr. Mills. Mr. Mills had inherited his property, quite a sizable chunk of land, from his father, a shepherd, and had promptly turned half of it into farmland. The rest, however, he had left as it was. Ever since they were little, these abandoned fields had held a certain fascination for Kate and Jack. It was their playground, the site of many adventures, and, today, host to what had started as a game of tag, but was now a game of poke-Kate-with-a-stick-and-see-if-it-hurts.

"Ugh. You're no fun, Kate!" sighed Jack, dropping the stick.

"Well, don't worry, I won't be around much longer! I'll be starting junior high in a month or so, and then you'll have to bug Mum and Dad instead."

"As you keep reminding me." Jack rolled his eyes. "Why _do_ you have to go to school, anyway? I don't see why you can't keep being homeschooled, like me." he sulked.

"Because, Mum and Dad think it's important that I'm properly integrated, so I won't have trouble making friends later. You'll understand when you're older." Kate replied importantly. Jack rolled his eyes again. "Of course. I'll understand when I'm 'older'. But in the meantime, who am I supposed to play with? It's no fun, playing all by myself!"

"There's always Lizzie from down the street."

"Yes, but Lizzie's only seven! She's no fun!"

Kate's eyebrows shot up. "Yes, you're two years older than her- the same as the difference between us."

"Yeah, but that's _different_. Wait, hey, you're not two years older than me! Only one year and eleven months!"

"So, basically two years."

"No!"

"Oh, fine. Do you even know what we're arguing about anymore? Come on, cheer up." Kate grinned at her sulking brother. "I'll do my trick again if you'll smile for me!"

"Really? Please do!" said Jack as he sat up, all trace of a frown gone.

"Alright, I will." Kate leaned forward and selected a rock from the ground. She cupped it in her hands and stared at it. After a few moments, the rock shifted slightly, then again, then rose up into the air and turned brilliant white, giving off a strange light.

"Is he coming?" said Jack excitedly

"Be patient!" Kate laughed. "And she's a girl, remember?"

"Oh. Right. When will she be here?"

"Give her a few moments! I expect she's on her way."

Right as Kate finished speaking, a rustling sound came from behind Jack. He whipped around excitedly. "It's her! She's here!"

"Mmm-hmm." said Kate, turning towards the source of the rustling, a grey metre-long grass snake. The snake, having reached Kate, climbed up her arm and began twining herself around Kate's shoulders. " _Hello, Penelope_." Kate said, although all Jack heard was a strange, strangled hissing. "Whoa" he whispered reverentially.

" _Hello, Kate._ " said the snake. " _How are you?_ "

" _Very well, thank you. Jack wanted to say hi to you_." she replied. Penelope turned her yellow-marked head towards Kate's fascinated brother. " _Hello, Jack._ "

"Hi, Penelope!" Jack said, giddily. Then, looking back towards his sister, "Wait- she did just say hello to me, right?" Kate laughed. "Yup!"

"Can I pet her?" Jack asked nervously.

"Let me ask." said Kate. Turning back to Penelope, she repeated Jack's question. " _Certainly._ " said the grass snake, extending her head towards Jack. "She says yes." said Kate.

Jack carefully put his hand on the snake's head and stroked her neck. "This is so cool!" he said.

"Hey- that's Mum's voice! I think she's telling us to come back in!" said Kate suddenly, turning towards their house.

"What, now? But it's nowhere near time for dinner!" complained Jack.

"Well, we'd better go see what she wants." said Kate resignedly. " _Sorry, Penelope. We've got to go_."

Penelope slid wordlessly off of Kate's neck as Kate stood, making her way back through the tangle of weeds. Jack sent one last longing look in Penelope's direction, then hopped along in Kate's footsteps.

Kate dashed up the back steps and burst through the door, Jack not far behind her. "We're here! What's going on?"

Rose Garland's head appeared around the entrance to the living room. "Oh, good. Leave your dirty things on the mat and come in here."

"But what's going on?" Kate asked confusedly. "You'll see in a moment." her mother replied.

Kate and Jack quickly stripped off their shoes and headed to the living room.

As Kate entered, a strange scene presented itself. Her parents were sitting side by side on the worn blue couch, the same couch that had magically appeared one night after Kate had thrown a tantrum about how uncomfortable the old one was. Across from them sat the source of the strangeness. It was an older woman, rather severe looking, with black hair pulled back in a bun, who was wearing a set of what seemed to be _robes._ What's more, she was holding a long, thin, polished stick in her hands, rather like a conductor's baton, only thicker. If Kate hadn't known better, she might almost have called it a wand- but no, that couldn't be.

Kate stared at the strange woman, hardly noticing that her feet had stopped moving. It was only when her father said "Kate! Stop staring, it's rude. Here, sit down." that she was shaken from her reverie.

"Erm- yes, right." she said, sitting next to her mother, while Jack took an identical position next to her father. Kate looked at her mother questioningly- who was this strange woman? What was she doing here, in their house? Kate nervously arranged her bangs on her forehead- she hated strangers staring at her scar.

"You must be Kate." said the woman.

"Er- yeah, that's me." Kate replied.

"Kate, my name is Professor McGonagall. I come from a school called Hogwarts." said the woman- Professor McGonagall.

Kate became even more confused. Why was this Professor here? Surely Kate's parent's must've told her that Kate was already down for the nearest junior high. "Oh. Okay." she said.

"Now, Kate, Hogwarts is not a normal school. Perhaps you may have noticed that you can do things other children can't, things which may seem to be almost magical?" Kate wasn't sure where Professor McGonagall was going with this, but she was right about one thing- Kate could do magical things. Jack caught her eye, and Kate could tell he was thinking the same thing.

"Yeah, I guess."

"You guess?"

"I mean- yes, I've noticed that."

Professor McGonagall nodded, then said, completely seriously, "Kate, you are a witch."

"I'm sorry?" Kate looked around- her parents looked as confused as she felt, so that was reassuring. Jack, on the other hand, looked delighted. "If Kate's a witch, then am I a wizard?" he asked excitedly.

"Probably not, I'm afraid." said the Professor. "It is possible, but extremely unlikely."

Jack's face fell.

"Wait, wait, what do you mean, saying my daughter's a witch?" asked Miles Garland. "I mean, obviously, magic isn't real, so she can't be a witch in that sense."

"I assure you, Mr. Garland, magic is completely real." said Professor McGonagall. "Here, allow me to demonstrate." And with a flick of her wand, several coasters went flying about the room. She spent the next several minutes doing various things to the coasters- changing their color and size, making them vanish and reappear, and, for the grand finale, transforming a glass on the coffee table into a ferret, which was then given to a delighted Jack as a present.

At last, Kate's mother spoke up. "Alright- so, assuming magic _is_ real- which I'm still having a hard time accepting- what does that mean for Kate? And what does this have to do with your school?"

"Well, since Kate is a witch, she can perform magic. Hogwarts is a school of magic. We teach all sorts of magic to children ages eleven through seventeen. It is a boarding school, of course. I have here your letter-" she handed Kate a thick envelope, made of yellowish parchment "-which includes all of the information you should need. If it is convenient, I will now take you to London to shop for school supplies. The school train leaves from King's Cross Station on September the first."

Kate stared at her in shock. "I'm a- a witch?"

"Yes." said the professor.

Kate looked down at the envelope. It had an address on it, written in green ink-

Ms. K. Garland

The Green Bedroom

6 Argal View

Penryn

Cornwall

Turning the envelope over, she saw it held a purple wax seal with a coat of arms- a badger, lion, eagle, and snake surrounding an ornate H. She carefully opened it, pulled out a piece of parchment, and read:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL

 _of_ WITCHCRAFT _and_ WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

 _(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,_

 _Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)_

Dear Ms. Garland,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of

Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall,

 _Deputy Headmistress_

Kate peered into the envelope again. Sure enough, there were two more pieces of paper. She pulled them out. One was a train ticket, and the other her school supply list. She looked at the list.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL

 _of_ WITCHCRAFT _and_ WIZARDRY

Uniform

First-year students will require:

1\. Three sets of plain work robes

2\. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

3\. One pair of protective glove (dragon hide or similar)

4\. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags

Course Books

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

 _The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)_

by Miranda Goshawk

 _A History of Magic_ by Bathilda Bagshot

 _Magical Theory_ by Addalbert Waffling

 _A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration_ by Emeric Switch

 _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_

by Phyllida Spore

 _Magical Draughts and Potions_ by Arsenius Jigger

 _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_

by Newt Scamander

 _The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection_

by Quentin Trimble

Other Equipment

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS

ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

"Wow." said Kate. "Where do you buy this stuff?"

"A place called Diagon Alley. I will show you how to get there." said the Professor. It was clear she had done this before.

"One other thing-" Kate asked. "It says here I can bring an owl, cat, or toad, but can I bring a snake?"

"Where on earth would you get a pet snake from, darling?" asked her mother.

"I already have one! Well, Penelope's not really a snake- more like a friend. We talk all the time."

"Hold on, you- _talk_ to a snake?" said her father, leaning forward to see around her mother.

"Well, yes! Jack can't understand her, but I can!"

Professor McGonagall leaned forward suddenly. "You have actual conversations with her? Where she speaks, and you speak back? Does this hold true for all snakes?"

Disconcerted by the sudden interest, Kate replied "Well- yeah, we have proper conversations. Jack says it just sounds like weird hissing to him, but I hear words. And I can talk to all snakes, but Penelope's the most interesting. The others won't shut up about hunting and things." she finished matter-of-factly.

"Fascinating…" the older woman trailed off, her eyes never leaving Kate. "Do you think you could go get this- Penelope? To demonstrate?"

"Er- sure." said Kate, sliding down off the couch. "I'll go call her now."

She hurried out of the living room, and a moment later the back door could be heard slamming.

"Erm- listen, I'm sure this is just her imagination, you know kids-" Miles started, but Professor McGonagall cut him off. "She may be telling the truth." she said tersely.

"Oh." said Miles, then fell silent. No one spoke again until Kate returned, Penelope slung about her shoulders. Her mother gasped when she saw the grass snake's size, but didn't say anything.

"Erm- everyone, this is Penelope." Kate said to the wide- eyed adults (Jack was just as wide-eyed, but with excitement, not surprise). Turning to Penelope, she said " _Penelope, these are my parents- and Jack you've met already- and this is Professor McGonagall, the woman who wanted to meet you._ " Penelope nodded her head to each in turn.

"My goodness." said Professor McGonagall, her hand over her heart. Then, speaking more to herself than any of them- "How strange- a muggle-born parselmouth."

"A what-born what?" asked Kate, quite confused.

"A muggle-born is a witch or wizard born to muggle, or non-magical, parents." explained Professor McGonagall. "And a parselmouth is someone who can speak to snakes. It is strange to have a muggle-born parselmouth because, before now, it was thought that all parselmouths were descendants of Salazar Slytherin, a wizard who lived almost a thousand years ago."

"So- do you know who Kate's birth parents are, then? If you know she's muggle-born?" asked Rose.

Professor McGonagall's eyebrows shot up. "I was assuming you were her birth parents- clearly, I am mistaken."

"Oh, yes- Kate was a foundling, you see." said Miles. "She turned up on our doorstep on Halloween almost ten years ago, just a little black-haired baby with a curious scar. One of the best days of our lives!" He smiled at Kate.

"Halloween of 1981, you say?" Said Professor McGonagall sharply, wearing the same expression she had upon finding out about Kate's parselmouth abilities. "May I see this 'curious scar', please?"

Kate brushed back her bangs to reveal the thin lightning bolt shape on her forehead. Upon seeing it, the older woman's face changed entirely to an expression of wonderment, then sadness, and she sank back into the chair. "Oh, dear me. I'm afraid I do know who Kate's birth parents are."

"You do?" said Kate excitedly. "Can I meet them?"

"No, I'm afraid not. You see, they're dead. They died the very night you arrived here."

"Oh." said Kate, her face falling.

"Does she have any other family?" asked her mother.

"Yes- a twin brother, in fact. His name is Harry, and he lives with your aunt, uncle and cousin. Other than that, however, there is no one." replied the Professor.

"But- how did they die? And what does my scar have to do with anything?" asked Kate

"Ah. Right. I should probably start from the beginning." said Professor McGonagall. She took a deep breath, then plunged on. "Ten years before Kate was born, a very evil wizard rose to power. I shan't say his name, but I'll write it down in a moment if you want me too- in the meantime, I shall refer to him as 'He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named.' His rise was bloody and awful. There was a long and terrifying war fought- I fought against him, as did Kate's parents. Their names, incidentally, were James and Lily Potter. James was a pureblood, meaning he was from a family of wizards, but Lily was muggle-born. Shortly after Kate and Harry were born, it became known that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named wanted them dead- them especially. Some say there was a prophesy, but I couldn't say for sure. All I know is that he wanted to kill the Potter twins. The Potters were, of course, given the greatest protection we could provide- they never should have been found. But they were betrayed. On that fateful night- October 31st, 1981- He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named entered their house and killed both of Kate's parents. Once he had done that, he attempted to kill Kate and Harry. But he couldn't. For some reason, the curse rebounded onto him, and he was destroyed. Some say he is dead. Later, when others visited the scene, Kate was nowhere to be found. We assumed she had been killed by the explosion following He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's destruction, but this clearly was not the case- it is possible that she was scared enough that she used accidental magic to transport herself here. As for your scar, Kate, it is a result of the curse- I know this because your brother bears an identical one."

The Garlands sat staring, dumbfounded. At last Miles managed to say: "Well then! I always thought that Kate had been left by someone who had perhaps been too poor to care for her, or something, but this- well, I must say, it comes as quite a surprise."

"Yes, I can imagine. Well, I'll need to go briefly- this is quite a momentous event, you must understand. Kate and Harry Potter- the vanquishers of the Dark Lord- you are famous in the Wizarding World, and you will be even more so once it gets around that Kate here has apparently returned from the dead. The proper people must be informed, and I suppose someone must be sent to fetch your brother- yes, yes, I'll be right back." And with that, the professor stood, gave a quick wave good-bye, and disappeared with a loud crack.

"Where's she gone?" said Jack, looking alarmed.

"I'm not sure, darling, but she'll be back." said his mother.

And indeed she did come back, about half an hour later. She appeared with yet another crack, right in the middle of the living room. Kate and her family hadn't done much since then. Jack had gone to his room, and Kate and her parents just sat in silence.

"Hello again, Mr. and Mrs. Garland, Miss Potter." For a moment, Kate couldn't think think of who Professor McGonagall meant by 'Miss Potter', and was startled to realize she meant Kate. Professor McGonagall wasted no time in getting down to business. "The headmaster of Hogwarts himself, Albus Dumbledore, will be here in a moment to meet you, and our groundskeeper, Rubeus Hagrid, has been sent to fetch your brother- they should be arriving in a few minutes. In the meantime, I thought you could ask me some of the questions I can tell you're bursting with." A hint of a smile touched the professor's face with the last sentence.

And Kate was indeed bursting with questions. In fact, she had thought of so many she had no idea which to ask first. There was a moment's pause after Professor McGonagall finished speaking, where everyone stared at Kate and Kate tried to get her thoughts into some sort of order, and then it was as if a dam broke, and all of Kate's questions spilled out at once.

"What were my parents like? Did you know them? Did you teach them? What's Harry like? Have you met him? Does he look like me? This aunt and uncle he lives with, who are they? Are they wizards? Are they-" Kate's mother cut in with a laugh. "Kate, darling, don't go so fast! No one can answer questions at such a speed. Try again, but slower!"

"Oh- sorry!" said Kate. "Do you know Harry? What's he like?"

"Well, I can't say I do. I only met him the once, on that night, when we left him with your aunt and uncle, who, by the way, are not magical at all, though they know about magic- they are your mother's sister's family."

Kate started to reply, but she never got the chance to , because just at that moment there came a loud knocking at the door.

"That must be Hagrid and Harry." said Professor McGonagall.

"I'll get it." said Kate's father, standing up. He strode across the living room and out into the entryway. Kate could hear him opening the door, then voices in the entryway. A moment later, he reentered, smiling. Behind him were three people- the first was a very old wizard (Kate could tell by his robes) with long, silver hair. The last was an enormous, wild-looking man, far larger than any man Kate had ever seen- but neither of these men mattered to Kate at the moment, because all of her attention was focused on the boy who walked between them.

A smallish, nervous-looking boy with bright green eyes just like hers, messy black hair just like hers, and a lightning bolt scar on his forehead just like hers.

"You must be Kate." said the very old wizard. "Kate, I am Professor Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts. This is Rubeus Hagrid, our Keeper of the Keys. And this, of course, is your brother, Harry."

* * *

 **Hello again! A bit longer this time, hope that's better! Sorry, it's a bit slapdash at the end. Let me know what you think!**

 **-musical sphinx**


End file.
